Consider the IT guy whose job is to keep the International Space Station up to date.

For one thing, you can't just pop into the local Best Buy to grab whatever is on sale. No, the job is a lot bigger than that.

I came across an article on Mashable (http://on.mash.to/2xPhMvv) that discusses the station's "IT guy," who recently upgraded its printers, which are almost 20 years old.

First, the printer must work in zero gravity. While that is not a huge challenge, printing problems relate to any excess ink that might leak and be ingested by astronauts.

An HP Envy printer was chosen as the base model but to reduce weight a number of components were removed, including the faxing, scanning and copying abilities. And, because the space station generates its own solar energy, all of its devices must use the least amount of power as possible.

The printer's paper handling needed special parts. HP decided to replace the normal stuff we use on Earth with some that are more robust for zero-gravity. Using an advanced material suitable for space, HP 3D-printed the new parts and made enough to upgrade 50 printers. This will allow NASA to maintain these printers, possibly, until 2028.

What about you? Does your printer need an update?

It seems as if the biggest problem with printers these days continues to be the cost of ink. We see a lot of printers come into the Personal Computer Museum (http://pcmuseum.ca) as donations. Their former users tell us: "It still works; it's just out of ink."

For many, the cost of replacing ink is more expensive than just buying a new printer.

Printers have become similar to razors. You can cheaply buy a new razor that comes with a blade. But buying replacement blades is expensive.

Most people don't want to "waste" things. So, we are going to keep that printer or razor going as long as we can.

With printers, you often replace print heads and ink at the same time, meaning the device will keep running for a long time as long as the operating system you are using still has drivers. The expense per page, however, seems to keep going up.

I've always maintained that laser printers are your best bet for value. I run a black-and-white laser printer for my everyday needs. A toner cartridge that costs around $100 lasts me for four or five years. (I don't do a lot of printing and toner doesn't tend to dry out like ink cartridges do).

You can also get colour laser printers. Replacing colour toner can be expensive but if you get them on sale they can be a great deal and can also last for years.

While the space station might be able to last years between upgrades, it's almost impossible for us gravity-laden individuals to go that long.

If you thought that paper was going away with the new high-tech era, this is just further proof that it hasn't. The good news is that the contents on our paper get prettier every year, even if it's costing us a little more to see it. That's progress, I guess.

Syd Bolton is the curator of the Personal Computer Museum (http://www.pcmuseum.ca) and Canada's top video game collector. You can reach him via-email at sbolton@bfree.on.ca or on Twitter @sydbolton.